Etna’s spectacular eruption

Lava spewed from a crater of the giant Etna volcano in the southern Italy island of Sicily in Catania (AFP Photo / Marcello Paternostro) / AFP

A spectacular eruption is going on from the volcano Mount Etna. The mountain is erupting for the 17th time this year, since the new south-eastern crater started being active.

­Lava is being blown hundreds of meters into the air and can be seen from the Ionic Coast, reports Agenzia Giornalistica Italia. The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology detected the crater's activity 40 minutes before the flow of lava began. The ash cloud was carried by a moderate wind and caused the airport in Catania to close.